As an elderly western Pennsylvania nun recovers from an assault and rape, she, her religious community and Pittsburgh's Catholic bishop are expressing a message of forgiveness in the face of a horrible crime.

"We always use the expression -- 'we can hate the sin but we've got to be able to love the sinner,'"" Bishop David Zubik said Monday.

Zubik knows the retired nun who was assaulted and raped last week behind St. Titus Church in Aliquippa, Beaver County.

"She is one tough lady in her life. She has always stepped outside of herself to be there for the less fortunate," said Zubik.

He says the nun, who is in her 80s, and her fellow Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden are praying for the accused attacker and they forgive him.

"From her own heart, if she has the conviction in her heart to be forgiving of somebody who did such violence to her, that's got to be pretty sincere," Zubik said.

Andrew Bullock, 18, of Aliquippa, is being held in the Beaver County Jail on charges that include rape and aggravated assault. He has been unable to post $50,000 bail.

"No matter how horrific any kind of crime is, there's got to be within us who are serious about God a growth in mercy," said Zubik.

The nun was attacked last Friday. She was released from the hospital Saturday and is recovering from a serious jaw injury and other injuries she suffered in the attack.

"None of us on our own can come to that point of forgiveness. It's got to not only be modeled -- and it is -- by God, but also receiving help from him," Zubik said.

The nun was the victim of a purse-snatching robbery in 2006 following an evening Mass. She fought off her attacker in that incident, then gave that man $10, telling him that she forgave him.

Zubik says his personal ties to the nun's religious community go back many years.

"The Sisters of St. Joseph are like my family. They taught me in high school, and I served for seven years as their chaplain, so I feel like they're my sisters," Zubik said.

Sister Mary Pellegrino, the congregational moderator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, issued a statement saying the sisters "are deeply saddened and heart-broken by the assault of one of our sisters." She said that "as we offer continued prayers of healing for our Sister, we also pray for the young man who has been arrested in the assault."

"I have been in contact with the sisters every day, just to check how things are going, to make sure that they can tell Sister I'm really praying with and for her," Zubik said.

3 IT'S A MESSAGE OF FORGIVENESS IN THE FACE OF A HORRIBLE CRIME. 3 PITTSBURGH BISHOP DAVID ZUBIK KNOWS THE RETIRED NUN WHORAPED IN BEAVER COUNTY BEHIND SAINT TITUS CHURCH LAST WEEK.THEY GO BACK FORTY YEARS. 3 BISHOP ZUBIK SAYS THE NUN --- WHO IS IN HER 80s -- AND HER FELLOW SISTERS OF SAINT JOSEPH -- ARE PRAYING FOR HER AND FORGIVE HIM.18-YEAR OLD 3 SUSPECT ANDREW BULLOCK OF ALIQUIPPA IS IN THE BEAVER COUNTY JAIL.THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM INCLUDE RAPE AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT. 3 THE NUN -- WHO WAS ATTACKED LAST FRIDAY -- IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AND RECOVERING FROM A SERIOUS JAW INJURY AND OTHER INJURIES SHE SUFFERED. 3 BISHOP ZUBIK SAYS HIS PERSONAL TIES TO THE NUN'S RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY GO BACK MANY YEARS. 3

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